President Trump said Wednesday that a preliminary peace agreement with Iran is finished, declaring the nation’s leadership “scum” in his first public remarks following military action.
Trump made the comments after ordering airstrikes in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The preliminary agreement, signed at the Palace of Versailles in France on June 17, had established a 60-day window for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief.
Trump’s Sharp Rhetoric
“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” Trump said when asked about the deal’s status. He continued, “They’re vicious, violent people… so far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”
The president characterized negotiations as futile, stating, “So far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars, they’re cheats, they’re sick people.” Trump also referenced assassination threats, saying, “They want to take out the US leader, me. I’m on every list.”
Iran’s Response
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected Trump’s stance in a defiant statement, declaring that “the era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
The Iranian official’s remarks signaled Tehran would not capitulate following the military confrontation. The two sides remain at odds over control of the strategic waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz Dispute
Iran attacked three commercial ships in the strait Monday and Tuesday, insisting vessels use a Tehran-approved sea route instead of a path along the Omani coast preferred by the United States and its allies. The waterway handles roughly one-fifth of global oil exports annually.
The memorandum of understanding had outlined terms including the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program-Trump’s stated military objective-alongside potential sanctions relief and unfreezing of Iranian assets. Flare-ups over strait access have occurred since the agreement was signed, but Trump’s Wednesday response marked an escalation.